Highway To Haunting
by TaraGeek
Summary: Set in season 1. The Winchesters come to terms with Sam having come out as a trans woman as they deal with a haunted stretch of high way and a particularly vicious and tragic ghost. A "transfic" story re-imagining Sam as a trans woman.
1. Chapter 1

"She's YOUR mother too Derek!"

Alice Bateman was angry, SO angry that she wasn't paying the attention to the road that she probably should have been. She was furious with her brother, he was older and growing up he was their parents favourite. His list of academic and sporting achievements made that inevitable. Now as an adult he was principle of a large metropolitan high school. He had been absent for the majority of their elderly mother's illness leaving Alice and her husband the sole, over worked care were exhausted and it was about time that Derek did his share. Big fancy job or not !

"Alie, what did I just say !" Derek answered in his best Principles voice. A tone that made Alice angry even at the best of times. "You expect me to drop my job and fly out. Just like that?"

Alice gave her brother the death glare that she felt he deserved, her rage boiling over.

"For OUR MOTHER. YES ! God dammit Derek you really think I don't have to work too don't you !" She wasn't getting through. They'd been close growing up and she loved him but time and distance had done more than just physically separate them. Alice took a breath, and turned toward her brother. Arguing with him wouldn't make his stay any more pleasant. Her eyes were off the road for only the briefest of moments.

"Look Derek. Alex and I just need som….."

Before she could complete her sentence Derek griped her arm. His voice was thick with concern.

"Alie I think you'd better stop the car".

Alice looked up. Directly ahead blocking the road was a car and two figures barely visible in the darkness. Alice could see clearly enough that this was no Police road block. The two men stood before a large monster of a vehicle, some kind of 60's muscle car painted black. As she drew closer and to a stop her certainty only increased. Judging by what they were wearing and their vehicle there was absolutely no way she was going to buy them as some kind of cops or federal agents.

Alice and Derek sat and looked at each other, each feeling their apprehension build toward the increasingly menacing view before them. Alice could still barely make the figures out and was wondering whether the best course of action would be to slam the car into reverse while she had the chance when one of the figures spoke and began to make his way toward them.

"FBI. I'm sorry but the road's closed Ma'am."

Yeah right FBI ! Alice thought.

"You can't come this way. Not tonight" The figure finished.

He was getting closer and closer and it was freaking Alice out. There was no way these ba8#*rds where going to hurt her or her brother. This was her town godamit! She steeled herself and gripped her door handle as the tall man got within distance of the car.

"No way you F*#king Ba8#*rd !" Alice slammed her car door hard into the stranger, doubling him over.

"SAMMY !" The other man shouted racing toward them. It was at that moment that Alice was sure she'd made a terrible mistake. The only partly obscured second assailant raised a shot gun, aiming it directly toward the windshield.

"Turn the god damn car around. Now !" He boomed "Right..Now".

Alice needed nothing more. This reprieve was more than she thought she had a moment ago. Pulling the car around she put as much distance between them and their assailants as she could.

Meanwhile the two shadowy figures watched Alice and Derek's car disappear into the night.

"You ok there Sammy ?" Dean asked.

"yeah, just great" Sam replied dusting off the failed FBI disguise that had led to the embarasment of being floored by a car door. "I always thought someone wouldn't buy us as FBI one day."

"Yeah well" Dean dismissed Sam's concern. "Buy the time the real cops get here we'll be done. It's almost 10:15. Get the stuff.

And Sammy" he added as he turned around to face Sam.

"Kinda funny she hit you down there huh" he motioned to his crotch a lopsided grin on his face.

"Yeah very funny Dean." Sam replied with a roll of the eyes and a shaking head as they reached the Impala."Jerk".

"Bitch" Dean replied.

TWO DAYS EARLIER Interstate 70 heading toward Bofford Missouri.

Sam turned to face Dean. "So Dad did a job for this guy ?"

"Yup years back." Dean replied. "You were still in high school I think."

"And he calls and tells you that there's some thing weird that needs checking out but he's not sure?" Sam continued.

Dean kept his eyes on the road and answered. "That's about the size of it." He reached for the stereo and flipped the tape punching ACDC back in quickly. They were both hoping that this one would turn out to not be much. Just some panicky old coot and nothing big to deal with. They could really use that right now.

As far as Dean could tell Sam had been in shock when he came back out on the had been clear. He was in mourning for Jess and the life they had together. The life that Sammy fought so hard for. Dean had figured that the distance between them, the way Sam would just clam up and stair out the car window lost in his own head for hundreds of miles had been because of that. That and the years they'd been apart. Boy had he been wrong, at least partially. Sam WAS in mourning. For the woman he loved and the life they wanted together but there was more.

Sammy had been pushing something back down inside. Something that his time at Stanford and a life with Jess had let him finally deal with. It turns out that Sam wanted to be a girl, or thought he was a girl or maybe even was one ? Dean didn't know what to do with that. He didn't know what to say when Sammy started to speak. It was nothing that he'd ever expected. He didn't know what it meant or what Sam needed but he was still the big brother and it was his job to take care of Sam no matter what. Monsters he knew how to deal with but this… not so much. A quiet job and ACDC as loud as the car stereo would play was getting him through it so far.

The music was playing loud enough for there to be an audible buzz from the rattling fixtures as Sam turned her head briefly to look at Dean. She was letting him have his coping mechanism for now, allowing him to have the comfort of ACDC turned up WAY too loud.

She'd been almost as shocked as he had looked when she'd told him. When she'd come out. Telling Dad or even Dean, "look I'm a girl," had been some thing she'd fantasised about since she was a kid not that she'd ever thought it could really happen. When Jess died and she ended up back on the road with Dean "Saving people, hunting thing." She'd wanted, NEEDED to be there but she figured life was over and so was transition.

She was still ragged and angry inside for what had happened but as it turned out the genie was already out of the bottle and no matter how hard she tried to be just Dean's little brother again she couldn't. If this was life now, and it HAD to be because the demon that killed Jess and Mom WAS going to pay and they WOULD find Dad. Then it had to be HER life. She couldn't find that thing and avenge Jess and pretend all at the same time. She just did not have the energy or the strength for that. It was an insult to Jess's memory too, not what she would have wanted or needed. Some times Sam felt like Jess's memory was all she had left.

So she'd let everything rattle around in Deans head. She'd let him deal. The familiarity of loud music and hunting some evil thing might help him come to terms with having a sister. And maybe she'd still have her brother too.

They pulled into Bofford Missouri just after 10:00am with Dean complaining about missing breakfast and headed to office of The Bofford Dispatch to meet Dad's "old friend" Jim Cannock. Sam thought that maybe she remembered being here some time in the past. The old man's face wasn't familiar as he made his was across the newspaper's modest office and greeted them though .

"Boys !" He clapped them both on the shoulder. "John Winchesters sons all grown up ! Well I'll be. It's good to see you."

Sam and Dean's eyes met at the greeting, momentarily given pause by it's new meanings.

"Hey there Jim " Dean offered, reaching out a hand. "You think you got something here?"

"Yes, I think I do." The older man replied, his expression growing more grave.

Sam felt a flush of heat and self consciousness wash over her. At the same time she was kind of greatfull for the awkwardness that the phrase "Boys," had caused and for the acknowledgement of her identity that it had brought out of her brother.

Jim led them into a small office in the back of the building and took out several large files full of back copies of the Bofford Dispatch. He started to speak.

"So there's a road headed up towards the interstate. Not too busy , not too quiet either. Been a lot of accidents there over the years, ALOT. Cars just loosing control, hitting trees even flipping end over end for no real reason. It usually winds up with dead drivers one way or another."

"That's some accident hot spot!", Sam offered. "Sometimes roads just have them. Awkward turns or badly lit sections. It happens" She added.

"Yeah Jim," Dean joined in. "There's gotta be more to it than just a few messy car accidents. What do you thinks going on ?"

Jim looked up from the back copies spread out over the desk. "Not sure. That's the thing. Why I tried to call your Dad in on this. The Dispatch has been covering the accidents for years and I think something's up with it. City council and Sheriff's Office just think it's a bad patch of road like you said." Jim turned to look carefully between Sam and Dean. "But every accident, every single death has been the exact same time of night. Not just when it's dark or when its wet or icy or in the snow. All weathers but every one of them just after ten at night." He sat down in the chair next to the desk and started to riffle through the files again. "So eventually I HAD to do some digging," He looked up again, the weight of events beginning to show on his face. "Thought it seemed kind of fishy. Eventually I couldn't ignore the chance it WAS something. I had to check it out." Finding the paper he'd been looking for he threw it down on the desk in front of Sam and Dean. "and I found this."

The paper was dated September 22nd 1985 and the headline read "Horror on the Roadside" it showed a photograph and a smiling young boy with a toothy grin and had a sub header that read "Bofford mourns Billy Monroe."

Jim spoke. "See Billy's folks had a cattle farm just out of town. Salt of the earth kinda people. I guess Billy used to play out in their fields sometimes. You know how kids are, sneaking out even at night to get up to some kind of mischief!" Jim's brief smile faded as he added "Well nobody really knows what Billy was doing out on the road at the edge of his parents farm but he was there and well… it had gotten dark and he got hit by a car. Knocked over and hurt bad. Hit and run. The kid just lay there, cars passed by but either nobody saw him or nobody stopped and the kid died. Bled out right there on the road.

"Geez, nice story Jim!" Dean added picking up the paper "But there's gotta be more to it than that?" He asked looking up over the copy and back at Jim.

Jim took a breath, then spoke "There is. See obviously his parents where destroyed by it but Jack Monroe took it real hard. Started drinking stopped working the farm. Not even his wife could get through to him." Jim's voice went quieter, the words heavy in his throat "Then one night. Out there on the road right where Billy died Jack took his shot gun and blew his brains out. The farm went into receivership, Ellen moved out of state to her sister's in Kansas and that was that."

Sam could see where this was going. "So we're thinking. What ghost ?" She offered.

Jim looked hopeful at the suggestion. "Both of them died on the same stretch of road at the same time of night. Could that do it?" He replied. "Jack had been pretty angry that nobody even stopped to check. That they just passed Billy on the road as he died."

Dean threw the paper back down onto the desk pretty sure they'd seen this kind of thing before. "Yup. That'll do it. One aaangry ghost." He placed a hand on Jim's shoulder. "We'll check out the site. Thanks Jim."

Sam and Dean made their way out of the newspaper office and back to the Impala. Sam turned to Dean and spoke, it was clear to them both they were thinking the same thing "Seems pretty standard." Dean placed a hand on the car door ready to unlock it and looked up at Sam nodding. He wasn't thinking about Jim or Billy Monroe or the road out near I-70 anymore.

"You wanna grab some food at the diner over there? " He motioned toward a store front across the street with a colourful sign that read "May's Dinner, Worlds best cherry pie !"

Knowing better than to ignore the demands of her brother's stomach Sam nodded and smiled."Sure" she replied.

The door jingled as they walked into the dinner. It was the sort of place that if you squinted might kind of look like a Norman Rockwell painting but of course never actually did. They took a booth toward the back and were approached by a cheery looking waitress with blonde hair and a name tag that read "Hi I'm Cheryl ! " She smiled at them both and pulled out a note pad and pen as she spoke.

"What can I get for you guys?" she asked. Dean smiled back at her. "Well,we've been driving all night," He'd clearly decided to give her the full Dean Winchester charm. Sam shook her head and resigned herself to the familiar sight of Dean flirting. She laughed as he continued.

"so my bro…"

It was there Dean paused in his tracks stopping himself from finishing what he was about say. Stopping himself from saying "my brother and I…" he turned toward Sam, the grin fallen from his face then looked back to Cheryl and raised a hand as if to wipe the words from the air. "I mean me and Sammy here," he paused awkwardly and finished "… we could really use some coffee."

Sam was glad that Cheryl didn't seem to register the moment and took Deans order for a cheese burger and her order for pancakes without a pause. Her brother had been great nodding and listening intently. Not freaking out about her being trans but she knew that he was starting to have questions. Questions about how things where about to change because of all this. The thing was Sam didn't know the answer to those questions for sure. She was still waiting for the inevitable assertion that the 6ft 4? "brother" that Dean knew could never ever walk into a diner in small town Missouri and be taken for a girl. For her temper to raise in response and for her to yell at him that exact thought had played on her mind since puberty didn't he realise that! For them to talk about how this wasn't about everyone else or even just about whatever her body was. Sam wondered too as they waited in silence, would there ever come a moment when Sam would be short for Samantha not Samuel in Deans eyes?

"Sorry" was all that Dean said as he lifted his eyes from the table cloth." I didn't mean too…you know."

"suggest that I'm your brother. I know." Sam decided to give Dean the benefit of the doubt. They paused silence filling the space between them again.

It was broken as Cheryl placed their coffee down on the table still smiling. "Here you go. Food'll be up in a minute." she gave Dean a flirty look then left.

"It's ok Dean." Sam offered, she was going to be pragmatic about this. "You've had my entire life expecting to call me that."

Dean picked up his cup looking down into the hot dark liquid and took a gulp. He quickly grimaced, muttering "might be "the worlds best cherry pie" but its not the worlds best coffee May!" under his breath before returning his attention to Sam earnest seriousness covering his face. "That's the thing Sam. I've been there your whole life and I never saw this !"

"There were plenty of times I wished you would." Sam offered. "Plenty of times I needed you to notice. But that was then. I need to deal with the future." She HAD been angry, resentful of so much growing up. So much more than either her brother or father realised. Right now though it was just her and Dean against the world and she was trying to be pragmatic about this. " Look Dean, nobody ever told you to look out for it. If Dad hadn't raised us as hunters then we wouldn't know how to look out for ghosts or any of the things we hunt."

Sam could NOT believe she had just compared herself to the things they hunted. It was a REALLY bad metaphor but it at least half worked. Dean seemed to be thinking the same thing and raised an eyebrow as he continued.

"I've been going over when you were a kid in my head Sammy. It was MY job to take care of you and there's stuff I should have seen. I should have been there for you."

"Can you imagine what Dad would have said!" Sam replied . She'd spent long enough going over her upbringing and she knew on several levels that regret wasn't going to change the past with this just like anything else.

"Here you are guys ! See I told you it wouldn't be a minute!" Cheryl returned with their food clanking plates and utensils down on the table before asking, "More coffee?" They reluctantly agreed.

Sam looked up as she was about to slice her folk into her stack of pancakes and Dean was taking his first bite of Cheese Burger. "But thanks though Dean."

Dean paused placing his burger back down on it's plate and looking Sam squarely in the eyes "I'm your brother Sammy. It's what I'm here for."

Sam took a moment, letting the conversation sink in and with a shake of her head and a wide grin replied, "Is this where I get to lecture you on traditional sexism or cultural misogyny ?"

Dean looked back at her and raised an eyebrow "Bite me college girl." He replied.


	2. Chapter 2

"So we should go check out the road side, check it for EMF readings first?" Sam turned to Dean as she slammed the Impala door shut behind her. "If it checks out it should be a sinch to find Jack Munroe's body and burn it."

"Way to go to jinx an easy job there Sammy!" replied Dean as they pulled out of main street Bofford. Sam had to give it to her brother. That WAS a perfect way to jinx this job. Dad's "old friend" Jim Cannock had handed them the admittedly harrowing story of a kid killed in a hit and run and his father's suicide. A story that lead to a very angry ghost and a lot of dead drivers on the road up to I-70.

The Winchesters sat in companionable silence as they reached the edge of town. Sam felt pretty good after their brief talk in the diner. That kind of connection to the real living world was something she hadn't felt in a while. Dean really did seem to be getting used to the idea that she was trans. Sure, there were definitely going to be hic-cups. Especially as the reality of whatever kind of medical transition she could manage out on the road, doing their job, became apparent. For now though she was staring out of the window thinking good thoughts for once. The phrase "bite me college girl." ringing in her ears but in an absurdly good way coming from Dean over breakfast at the diner. It had been his first acknowledgement of her as his sister and it felt good.

The road out toward I-70 was quiet. Both Winchesters figured that even on the busiest nights not many cars would pass by this route. It made sense that nobody had noticed what was happening here despite drivers going to their violent deaths for years. The ones that were unlucky enough to hit the road at the exact time the angry and distraught ghost of Jack Munroe was there to kill them, were very unlucky indeed! Sam thought.

Dean pulled the Impala to the roadside near what according to the Bofford Dispatch was the Munroe farm.

"This should be it." He pronounced standing from the car. They grabbed the EMF meter and some other supplies "Just to be sure." Dean had said. Sam could swear her brother was falling into an old over protective mode. It was going to be interesting, she thought, if knowing that she was his sister was going to bring that out in him. Maybe they really would have to have a more in depth talk about gender roles and sexism!

The site was barren and in the distance the buildings of the Munroe farm lay abandoned. Bofford's memory of what happened here had seen to that. It was hard to tell exactly where the spot they were looking for was, so they took to walking the road side. Dean was intently watching little LED lights for any flicker indicating a raise in electro magnetic field readings. Sam thought his concentration seemed intense, almost too intense for Dean and certainly too intense for a case this simple. She went from watching her brother to searching the road surface, trying to make out any scratches, any disturbances that might indicate car accidents had happened. She thought she might have spotted a pot hole that was more raged and uneven than she'd expect when Dean spoke.

"Hey Sammy ?" He asked. " Was Jess, y'know...ah," he scratched his head and looked almost sheepish, uncertain at what he was about to ask. "Was she?... Where you and her? " His sheepishness had very quickly been replaced by a lopsided grin. Realising what Dean was getting too. Or rather what direction his thoughts normally went in, Sam shook her head and spoke.

"_Oh yeah._ That's my brother everybody!" She couldn't keep herself from grinning back at him for being the walking cliche he sometimes was. "Where we what?" She knew very well what he was asking but for the sake of teasing her big brother and because she certainly wasn't going to just give away personal sexual information automatically as part and parcel of coming out. She was going to make him work for it a little more. "Were we lesbians ?"

Dean paused for a moment, continuing to do the math in his head.

"Well yeah !" He threw his arms wide stopping in his tracks, for a moment forgetting the job they were doing. Sam followed suit, shoving her hands into her pants pockets. Narrowing her eyes at him. Sure she knew coming out as trans was going to bring a whole boat load of intrusive and overly personal questions. Allot of them to do with her sex life, both past and future but this was her brother. Basically they were all each other had and filling in the blanks that this coming out process created for Dean was something she was willing to do.

"Well you know I like girls." She'd clarified as much to him when she'd first come out. Trying to make clear to Dean that being trans wasn't somehow being _super gay._ " Jess and me. Well... we were working out what it meant for us. For our relationship." Sam felt an ache inside her gut at Jess's memory. Talking about her could be hard and she heard a shakiness enter her voice as she continued to speak.

"After I came out to her. Hell, I sometimes feel like she was the reason I COULD come out. After that, she knew that she was in a relationship with another girl. She didn't have any illusions about me being a guy. It didn't seem to phase her. I guess she'd been able to see what every body else couldn't." Sam looked up at Dean. Trying to wipe out any tone of accusation with a brief smile at her brother.

" I don't know if I'd have been able to deal with everything without her." She took a breath to steady herself, reasserting all the good things about Jess and their life together. Pushing the memory of her death back down to be kept locked away, ready for when she needed it. Ready for when they finally caught up with the bastard thing that killed her. "So yeah." she steadied her voice, trying to sound as matter of fact as possible. "We were two girls in a same sex relationship."

"Son of a bitch my sister's a lesbian !" was Deans response. Sam replied by raising a hand as if to say "present". Dean raised both eyebrows processing the statement.

Sam was smiling again as they gave their attention back to the EMF meter. Continuing to walk the road just in time for it to light up, proving that Jim had been right and they were certainly on to something here. She turned to Dean fairly sure that they were on top of things. "So we should head back to town right ? Check the burial records, find Jack Munroe's grave."

"Sure," Dean replied. "Then we roast the poor ba#*ard's body and it's adios asshole!" Dean pointed his index and middle fingers and cocked his thumb back making a gun shape, shooting in the air. He pocketed the EMF meter and turned around to head back to the car. Sam followed.

"We should make the most of the library too, look at the town history. Just to be certain. I'm sure Jim was right about this but it doesn't hurt to check." Sam was fully aware she was just being an over cautious nerd. As well as refusing to give up the chance to indulge in the welcome that libraries brought her.

"Always the college girl huh ?" Dean grinned "You go do that. I'll find a should be done tonight and I could really use a bed to sleep in. Maybe catch a game and a beer at some crappy sports bar too?"

Sam nodded, glad to give her brother, give them both a moment to breath especially given the weightiness of recent events.

Dean pulled the Impala back into main street Bofford stopping in front of a modest building with a bravely attempted neo classical facade that housed the town library.

"Meet me at the bar at say six ?" He asked Sam.

"Sure, if it all checks out we should have enough time to get to Jack Munroe's grave before it gets really dark." She replied as she turned to make her way into the library. It wasn't big, as far as libraries in small town Missouri went. Still, Sam could always count on them to make her feel at home. She settled herself in and began her search.

It was approaching 4:45 when Sam looked at her watch. The site at the old Munroe farm had checked out like expected. According to town history there was nothing else that seemed likely to have caused what was happening. Her search hadn't proved to be entirely fruitful though and she was annoyed. It meant she couldn't spend any time reading for fun. Honestly she was kind of jealous of Dean spending the afternoon relaxing in his element. The big problem was that there were no town records to find detailing the location of Jack Munroe's grave. There certainly wasn't a comfortable enough period of time before it got dark to find it by on foot and another night meant the possibility of more deaths.

In the end it was no good, she was going to have to drag Dean away early and they'd have to do re-conn damn fast. He was just as pissed as Sam had expected when she dragged him from the bar. A Kansas City chiefs game was on re run and a pretty girl, a waitress named Mindy slipped her number into his pocket mouthing "call me" as they left.

"You know you're amazing some times!" Sam had to remark turning to her brother. It was true, there were times that no matter where they were and how much time they had, Dean seemed to wind up with some girl giving him her number.

"I am amazing!" Dean agreed, a smugness settling over him. "Why jealous ?" He turned to her with a wry smile.

"Yeah sure. Jealous." Sam answered, raising an eyebrow. She really wasn't. It would be a good long time before she'd let herself think about that kind of thing. Transition or not.

Twilight was gradually creeping up on them. Night perilously close and they were still going from grave to grave in the second of Bofford's two grave yards. The town had allot of graves to check, most of them courtosey of the Civil War and The First Battle of Lexington. As she shivered from the growing cold and zipped her jacket right up, Dean spoke. The first of the two of them to say uncle at the apparently fruitless search.

"We should wrap this up, block the road off tonight. Search some more tomorrow! It's not like it's busy!"

"What and drag out the old FBI disguises?" Sam shot back. She was getting tired and did not relish the prospect of a night spent in the car. "Besides I thought you wanted to sleep in a bed tonight ?"

"nah ! Who wants a warm bed when you can have the cold Missouri night!" was his only, sarcastic reply.

As much as Sam always had the nagging doubt that one day somebody just wouldn't buy them as FBI, or coroners or priests or whatever else they pretended to be. Dean had a point. She was gathering herself up from the grave of one Corporal J Hallet late of the Missouri State Guard when he called out.

"Son of a bitch ! Sammy get over here!" He was standing over a modest tombstone partly covered by grass. The grave had clearly not been tended in quite some time but it read, "Jack Munroe, beloved Husband, Father and Brother. Died December 18th 1985."

"Looks like we'll be sleeping in those beds after all huh !" Dean beamed, "c'mon Sammy" he called, already making his way back to the car. "Lets get this SOB fried and I just might even have time to give Mindy a call! " He waved the paper napkin with the waitress's phone number on it back at Sam.

They did this kind of work so regularly since they were kids. It never held the strangeness it might for other people and digging down to Jack's coffin proved to be typically quick work. Still, they were eager to get it over with. Dean pried the coffin lid open to reveal the bones of Jack Monroe.

"You know it's really twisted that doing this hasn't ever seriously grossed either of us out." Sam complained as they climbed out of the grave and she poured lighter fluid down into the open coffin.

" _Whatever._ You always said that." Dean replied, striking a couple of matches and tossing them down toward the remains. As the coffin and it's contents blazed up readily, a sudden heat hit them. A welcome feeling that drove away the nights cold.

"_Yeah_. It always used to piss Dad off." Sam remembered un zipping her jacket. Now too hot against the flames. "Doesn't mean it's not true."

Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head recalling the memory. He held his hands up to the flame, rubbing them together then smiled. "We should have brought marsh mallows!" Was all he said.

The Bofford Lodge Motel was fairly typical for the places they stayed. It had been uncomfortably easy for Sam to get back into the swing of living on the road. It had bugged her how quickly the years at Stanford with a real home, in dorms or with Jess had fallen alway, old habits returning. Dean flopped straight down onto his bed after shucking his jacket off and kicking away his boots. In the end he was clearly too tiered to make the most of Mindy's number.

Sam let her brother fall asleep and made her way into their small bathroom. Taking look a long look at herself in the mirror she pulled her jacket off and let out a deep breath, taking in her reflection. She_ knew_ that being female was so much more than looking a certain way and she felt it to be true too. Felt it right down to her bones. There'd been plenty of times in her life she'd _had_ to but coming out had brought all sorts of things right to the surface. She'd been so intent on actually doing it. On actually getting the words out, that the bout of dysphoria she'd been swallowing the past couple of days had kind of taken her by surprise. Not that it was anything particularly new. She ran a hand through her hair then brushed it against her chin feeling almost a days worth of stubble. A particularly apparent and regular place for her dysphoria to surface, among the many ways it did. She'd gotten some laser done at Stanford but only a couple of sessions and she was eager to carry on somehow. For now she'd risk razor burn and shave for the second time of the day. It wasn't strictly necessary given all she was doing was going to bed but if she didn't it would just bug her. Five minutes later she climbed into her bed and closed her eyes. Hoping, probably forlornly for a full night's sleep. One without nightmares of fire or Jess dead and pinned to a ceiling.

No sooner had she closed her eyes Sam found them forced open again. Dawn was pouring in through the window and there was a desperate knocking on the motel room door.

"Son of a bitch !" She heard Dean cry as he stumbled his way toward the thundering noise. He pulled open the door still blinking, for Jim Cannock to come barrelling in desperation written all over his face.

" BOYS! I don't know what you did last night but it didn't work ! Some Doctor out of Kansas City got his head clean ripped off out at the Munroe farm last night!" Jim was breathless and held an early copy of the Bofford Dispatch in his hand. He quickly forced it into Dean's. "You left me a message saying you got the damn thing ! What in the lords name is happening ! ?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sam sat in silence as Dean pushed the Impala just that little bit too fast toward the Munroe the sight of the new killing that had taken place the previous night. A killing that as far as Jim had reported it to them matched exactly past events. She didn't know what to think. They'd salted and burned Jack Munroe's remains. It had been a close thing to get it done before the ghost had been ready to kill again. Ready at it's usual time just after 10:00pm. There was definitely something supernatural going on out there and there weren't many ways the job could have gone so wrong. Either the body wasn't Jack's. Lack of comprehensive town records made that possible. It might be something other than a simple pissed off spirit or the ghost might not in fact be Jack's. Sam didn't like that last thought. From his clenched jaw and wide eyes she figured Dean might be thinking the same thing. If not Jack Munroe then who? Her search had yielded nothing else that was likely to be causing it and there was absolutely no evidence that it was anything but a ghost. She couldn't have and missed something... she just couldn't.

The sight at the Munroe farm was only partially cleared after the nights events. A lone patrol car and a sheriffs department deputy remained to guard the mangled wreckage of a grey Ford Taurus. As they approached the patrol car Sam turned to Dean and finally addressed what they were both thinking.

"Dean look, I swear there was nothing else in the history. It's a ghost and it HAD to be the Munroe case that started it." From the look on his face she was sure her brother was pissed. It's not like SHE wasn't but it really didn't make sense for her to have missed any details in her research.

"Sure doesn't look that way huh." Dean shook his head, spitting the words out through gritted teeth. He kept his eyes locked on the patrol car ahead of them.

"Dean what ?" Sam paused grabbing her brother's arm turning him around to face her. "What are you SO pissed at?"

"What am I so pissed at ? !" He snapped though a clenched jaw. "Sammy in case you didn't notice we iced a ghost last night then it got right back up and carried on doing it's thing !" Dean turned back sharply to head toward the patrol car. Sam didn't let him.

"Yeah well. It sure seems like you're pissed at ME!" He still wasn't looking at her. He just stood, his eyes narrow and focused just past her in to the distance. That wasn't good enough. They had a job to do and things had gone wrong but she wasn't about to let him just take what happened out on her like this.

"WHAT !" She demanded.

"Sam you missed something !" He yelled back. Finally looking at her. "We've been SO caught up in your drama that we screwed up a simple case ! THAT'S what happened Sammy!"

Sam probably should have seen this coming but she honestly didn't know how to respond except in counter attack.

"Oh that's just great! Thank you. Mr. Attention span! You spent all of yesterday afternoon sitting in a bar picking up girls and watching football ! While I was working !" She yelled back at him. It wasn't the best idea to have it out with Dean in front of some cop, especially when they should have been doing their job but Sam couldn't just let it go. " I-did-not-mess-up." She slowly spelled out, lowering her voice for the sake of emphasis and privacy. They just stood for a moment, at an impasse before Sam broke Deans gaze and carried on down the road.

Reaching the patrol car Dean was the first to speak. "Agents Page and Plant, FBI."

The deputy half squinted through the his window as he wound it down.

"Excuse me ?" He drawled seemingly immune to Dean's fake FBI badge and tough guy act.

Dean gritted his teeth, still riled by the argument.

"Agents Page and Plant. FBI." He repeated more slowly and loudly than before, staring the deputy down.

"They're sending the Feds out for road traffic accidents now ?" The deputy asked raising an eyebrow.

Sam spoke before her brother could. Deciding to break up the misplaced pissing contest that was developing.

"So tell us what's going on here."

The Deputy sighed wearily and began to make his way to the wreck. He maintained an air of amused annoyance as he led Sam and Dean across the road.

"Well ! Whats it look like ?" He asked, gesturing at the twisted pile of metal and glass. "It is what it is. Some Doctor out of Kansas city bought it. Smashed in to tree. Heck ripped his head clean off in the crash. The damndest thing ! It happens from time to time though."

"And there's no evidence of anything else last night?" Dean demanded. "No sigh of wild animals, any body else on the road?"

The deputy continued to look confused but answered anyway.

"Nope... just a regular old city type. Crashed his car. Weren't nothin' suspicious about it if that's what you mean ! Don't see why you FBI boys would want to waist you're time with it."

"Well we're nothin' if not thorough!" Dean shot back giving Sam a quick glare that did nothing except serve to piss her off. She ignored him and spoke directly to the deputy.

"All the same, we'll give the scene a look if you don't mind." Was her only response.

"Sure. Knock your selves out !" The Deputy replied dismissively. He began heading back to his car before briefly turning around to add. "Tow truck'll be hear soon to clear the wreck away !"

"SO, the sight checks out." Sam let out a deep breath as they drove back to Bofford.

"Yup, what ever it is it's STILL out there." Dean replied not turning to look at her. The tension was simmering between them and neither felt like talking too much. Still there was a job to be done and they both knew it.

"Look, I guess we should go and check the records again. See if we can dig up any more information on the case ?" Sam offered. She was resolved for now to keep the conversation on topic. She wasn't in luck. Dean finally looked at her for a second before giving his reply. "This time we'll BOTH go." He instructed, turning back to the road.

That was it for Sam. They were safely in the car, away from any deputy who had think that they were FBI Agents and she was going to call him on the fit he'd been pitching since Jim woke them at the Motel.

"Dean, what IS it ? If you've got a problem just say so !"

Dean looked around again for the briefest of moments before returning his eyes firmly to the road.

"Guess you can't send a _girl_ to do a man's job !" If his hands were free it sounded like Dean would have punctuated the word "girl" with quotation marks. "There had to be something you missed yesterday Sammy !" He shot out with a bitter grin.

"You f*#king pr#*k." Was Sam's reply. "If you think that I'd ever let what I was going through hurt the job then you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were ! If that's what you think then maybe we should just go our separate ways. Screw you and screw Dad and his "jobs!" She fell back into her seat and turned her gaze out of the passenger side window. Her blood was pumping hard. "I can find the thing that killed Jess on my own." She flung her head back screwing her eyes tight, running her hands over her temples and through her hair before letting out a final exclamation toward nobody in particular. "God ! This f#*king life!" She opened her eyes to find Dean smiling a goofy grin as he pulled the Impala to a stop by the road side and turned to face her. "WHAT!" She demanded.

He let out a laugh and answered. "You know. I feel like I'm 17 again. Driving along the road near some crappy town east of nowheresville with you bitching about how much you hate this life. Only this time it's ME you're swearing like a sailor at not Dad." Dean paused, undoing the top button of his shirt, loosening his tie. "It's almost like coming home !"

Sam was still fuming despite Dean's suddenly softened attitude. Thankfully he continued talking.

"Look Sammy. I'm sorry about what I said. Shouldn't have done it. I AM an idiot some times okay? I shouldn't have taken it out on you. OR on being trans"

Sam felt her own mood begin to soften a little. Dean was pulling his old trick, just like he always had when they were kids. He was finding just the right combination of words to talk her down. He continued. "But... and don't jump down my throat for asking this okay 'cause I'm trying to not be a dick about it this time. IS it possible that you.. that BOTH of us got so distracted yesterday with everything that's been going on. With coming out and all of that stuff. That we're not doing our jobs properly ?"

She was glad Dean had added the BOTH of us to what he'd asked. It didn't make him right though.

"Dean," she started. " I can't say what you're thinking or feeling but I'M not distracted by this. It doesn't mean that I can't do my job okay." Dean was about to interject with what Sam assumed was an agreement of "Okay," when she cut him off. " If anything, I'm LESS distracted! I'm less overwhelmed than I've ever been. I spent years, YEARS doing the job! I pushed it all down inside myself AND got into college without you or Dad finding out. I'm not over come Dean. I'm better than I've ever been and I DIDN'T get this wrong. Something else is going on here."

Dean looked at her for a moment. What she'd said turned over in his mind before he spoke.

"Okay." He replied and pulled the Impala back out onto the road, jamming a Led Zeppelin tape into the stereo. Sam smiled.

"Are YOU okay?" She asked. If he WAS having problems with her coming out after all, she wanted to know. She wanted to deal with it.

"Yeah." He replied. "I'm Pissed off that we didn't get the thing. I'm pissed off that somebody else died but I'm not freaking out on you okay Sammy."

"Okay." Sam nodded back at him as "The Battle of Evermore," clicked over into "Stairway To Heaven," on the stereo.

"Hell ! I'll even buy you a my little pony to make it up to you." Dean grinned. "Isn't that the kinda thing big brothers do for their little sisters ?"

"Nah." Sam answered. Deciding again to delay the inevitable lecture on gender roles and essentialism. She simply replied. "That's okay. If I'd had the chance I'd have been more of a Rainbow Bright girl when I was little anyway."

The day wore on, too quickly. Sam and Dean both checked town records and histories. If anything Bofford still seemed to be a frustratingly quiet town aside from it's brushes with the civil war. Honestly it was getting to the point where Sam was thinking that maybe they HAD missed something.

"SCREW THIS !" Dean shot out. Throwing papers away across the library table they were sharing. Heads turned and a woman with grey hair and spectacles perched on the end of her nose gave an audible, disapproving huff.

"Dude, keep it down this is a library!" Sam insisted, gathering up her brother's discarded papers.

"Yeah well screw the library!" Dean added. His voice was only slightly quieter than his initial outburst. "And screw the town record department and the newspaper archives! This place has got nothing Sammy ! It might be the most BORING town we've ever checked out."

"Apart from the ghost." Sam added. "The ghost that we have NO clue about. Still." She couldn't blame Dean for his outburst, she was about a hairs breadth away from one herself. She was opening up a book on the first battle of Lexington for the third time, hoping to finally find something that linked the civil war to the sight at the Munroe farm. When Dean stood, grabbed his jacket and proclaimed.

"C'mon. I'm gonna get some of that pie at the diner and you need a break too."

Sam opened her mouth ready to protest but her heart just wasn't in it. She let out a sigh and gathered the assorted contents of their table joining Dean.

They sat in May's Diner as Dean devoured his second helping of pie. It was cherry and he swore that unlike the coffee it might actually have been the worlds best ! Sam just nursed her diet coke, she knew full well that she was doing the silent staring out of the window thing. Just like the previous day it was getting frighteningly far into the afternoon with no progress on the job. She gave up her vigil at the Rockwellesque view, determined.

"We have to go back."

"What ?" Dean asked through a mouthful of pie.

"Look,we have to go back to the scene again." Sam clarified, finally finishing her drink. Dean looked frustrated but maybe he was coming around to the unfortunate idea a night spent out by the road.

"Are you kidding me Sammy, AGAIN. What are we gonna find ?" Then again it might have just been the pie that was keeping his attention.

"Maybe we WILL find something." Sam offered. "Or we could walk the sight and TRY to provoke the thing!" This seemed like a stupid suggestion but it was all she could think of. " If it attacks us maybe we'll get an idea of who it is?"

Dean just looked across the table skeptically. He gathered the last few crumbs of pie from his plate and spoke.

"That's you're whole plan. "Get her" ? ! "

Movie references aside it really was her whole plan. It could work though, or maybe she was just getting twitchy and frustrated.

"Yeah, it is." Was her only reply.

Again, Dean just stared. He stood from the table throwing down money to cover their check and spoke. "Okay then. Lets do this."

Sam nodded, she was greatfull after the morning's argument to conspicuously have her brother's trust. As they made their way out of the diner Dean turned to her and grinned.

"I can't believe you didn't call me on the Ghostbusters quote !"

Greatfull for the lighter mood she decided to play along.

"Oh I apologise "Dr Venkman"." She replied.

"Really? That's all you got?" Dean shot back. "You may be a girl but you were raised better than that!"

Sam shook her head. It was true though, she COULD do better.

"Okay. Um..."You really are a legitimate phenomenon !" "

Dean looked pleased.

"Better." He added approvingly. His voice was full of mock seriousness. "Although if I'm Bill Murray that should be my line."

For the second day in a row twilight was fast approaching as Sam and Dean hurried their way through Bofford. Arriving at the Munroe farm neither was sure what they were looking for or what they were expecting to find. Every check had been made, whatever WAS happening met every criteria they'd ever learned about for a very angry ghost. Right now Sam honestly felt dumb as they began to walk the long untended fields around the farm.

"So here goes nothing!" Dean offered. He cleared his throat and raised his arms into the air yelling up at the moon. "HEY ASSBUTTT! GET OUT HERE! WE AIN'T AFFRAID OF NO GHOST!"

Sam shook her head at her brother's unabashed lack of shame.

"I was thinking of something a bit more subtle than that!" She chastised him.

"Hey! This was your idea! We wanna provoke the this? We piss it off!" He raised his hands, cupping them around his mouth as a make shift mega phone to yell through before turning to Sam, smiling. "C'mon YOU know how to piss people off if anybody does!" He added. Then yelled, louder than before. "HEY MORON! GET OUT HERE SO I GET SO I CAN BURN YOU'RE ASS JUST LIKE JACK'S MUNROES!"

They were closer to the Munroe house now. It sat abandoned since what happened. After her son and husband's deaths Ellen Munroe had moved back to her sister's in Kansas and no one else had taken up residence since. Once a nice place, it was now all peeling paint and rotten hinges. It looked exactly like the set of a cliqued horror movie. All that was needed was for one of them to make their way inside assuring "I won't be long!" For the picture to be complete. Sam climbed the couple of steps on to the house's porch and joined Dean in the stupid but maybe necessary yelling.

"HEY !" She called out pulling open the front door, carefully poking her head into the darkened house.

" GET OUT HERE ASSHOLE! WE'RE GONNA DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME!" She still felt kind of ridiculous doing this. Like maybe finding a real psychic, if they'd had time, would have been wiser. She stepped into the house and felt a chill work it's way through her. Before she could make anything out, or even raise her shot gun. She was swept up and smashed hard against the living room wall. Her gun ripped from her hand and slammed into the floor.

The sound quickly brought Dean running, his gun raised. Just as quickly as Sam had been, he was thrown against the opposite wall. An unseen force opening deep gashes across his face. The house's lights, though left untouched for decades impossibly began to flash on and off. Broken pieces of furniture flew around the room showering Sam and Dean with splinters. An echoing voice boomed across the room. Changing direction from moment to moment.

"YOU HURT HIM! BAD MEN! NO FIRE!" The force again slammed Dean hard against the wall. It clawed at him and continued it's tirade. "BAD MEN! BAD TALK!"

Sam could feel the grip that held her loosen ever so slightly as she watched the onslaught against her brother. It got loose enough that she could turn her head. She scanned the dark corners of the room as the lights flashed. It was no good though. Using every bit of effort she could muster she still could do no more than turn her head and shake her arms. Remaining hopelessly pinned against the wall. Dean was doing allot worse. He was falling in and out of consciousness. The spirit, whoever it was continued the assault against him with increasing ferocity. "BAD MEN! NO FIRE !" It repeated again and again. Sam could do nothing except call out to her brother and try fruitlessly to reach her gun. Dean was giving all he had to rally against the attack but that rallying only consisted of increasingly incoherent trains of obscenity."F*CK YOU!" Followed by "gonna salt and burn you good, mot#*r fuc#*r!" and "burned Jack F*cking Munroes F*cking bones, get you too asshole!"

At the last one every light in the house stopped flickering and instead glared impossibly bright. The voice boomed it's loudest so far. "HURT DADDY! HURT YOU!" In the middle of the Munroe living room an image flickered into view. A pale half transparent image of a blonde haired boy with a terrible gash in his middle dripping blood into an ever increasing pool on the floor. Sam realised what they were seeing. They had been been stupid. Very, VERY stupid. Checking every detail of the case for except this, the right one.

The ghost of Billy Munroe, the boy who bled to death alone by a cold roadside. The boy whose death began the whole thing, threw Dean across the room smashing him into the already broken mirror that hung above the fireplace. It cried out in righteous indignation! "BAD MEN ! HURT MY DADDY! NOT BURN! I'LL HURT YOU!" The spirit's fury now focusing almost entirely on Dean. Sam could feel it's grip on her loosen enough that she slid down the wall she had been pinned to, falling within reaching distance of her shot gun. She was still fighting against the force that held her but she finally reached it. Managing to force it into the direction of the flickering image in front of her she pulled the trigger. Calling out as she did.

"HEY BILLY !" She screamed. A shower of rock salt flew forward and Billy's ghost locked eyes with Sam, suddenly filled with terror. Billy Munroe had died horribly as cars passed him by on the road side. His ghost had returned the favour by killing driver after driver over the years but for this moment it seemed to only be a scared little boy again. Crying out in terror as the rock salt obliterated it's image and the lights flickered off.

Dean fell hard from the fireplace landing in a shower of splinters and shards of glass. Sam gathered herself up and reached an arm around her brother. She dragged him out of the house and back to the safety of the Impala as quickly as she could before Billy Munroe's ghost had the chance to rally and follow them. Dean was semi conscious and she was honestly freaked out by the fact that they HAD missed the obvious in this case. Their minds in the end DID prove to be elsewhere. Sam was kicking herself as she pulled the Impala as fast as she could away from the scene. She tried to shake Dean awake. He was slumped against the passenger side window and decidedly worse for wear.

"Dean ! Wake up man !" She urged. "Are you ok ?" He roused at the sound of her voice. Bringing a hand to his head then pulling it away with a grimace at the smeared blood that covered it.

"No, I'm just peachy Sammy !" He replied wiping his hand on his torn shirt in a vain attempt to get it clean. "Pull over so I can get cleaned up ok ?"

They were at safe distance so Sam agreed and pulled over. She waited as Dean cleaned himself up as best he could by the roadside. All the while mumbling.

"Ba#*ard kid!" and "freakin' get my ass kicked by a kid, god damn!" To himself. Sam checked her watch and did the math in her head. They may have found the ghost's identity but Billy was just as likely to strike again tonight and there was no time to get to his grave let alone dig down to his remains in time.

"We're gonna have to guard the road y'know." She admitted reluctantly.

"Yup." Dean replied. "But I'm not gonna wait 'till morning to burn the kid. Soon as the roads safe for tonight we get the Ba#*ard!"

Sam nodded she couldn't blame her brother. She was just as eager to put Bofford behind them as he was. Even if she was less worse for wear than him.

"We'll have to swing by the motel and change first. I still say one day someone won't buy us as an FBI road block though." She insisted as they climbed back into the car.

So far the road block they'd set up had been pleasingly quiet. It was getting tantalisingly close to Billy's time for jumping passing cars. A while longer and they could be out of there. They were both appreciating this fact. Dean was napping and Sam just thought she'd let him after the beating he took. As it happened he'd mostly suffered superficial cuts and bruises. The main consequence of which would be gripping for the next few days about sore limbs and bandages for the gash on his cheek. Sam could hardly blame him but she could see herself getting pretty pissed at complains about cuts and bruises in a few days time.

As Dean napped Sam reflected on the past few days. All in all it had been as ok an initial coming out as she'd let herself hope for. Dean was trying his best to be the most awesome big brother in the world. He'd been pretty cool about everything but they'd had their problems too. Sam knew more of that would definitely be coming. Especially as she started to look into medical stuff. She laughed at the thought that their skill with forged documents might actually be of some use in that area! Even if fake prescriptions had never exactly been their thing before.

Sam was still lost in thought as a flash of light in the distance caught her eye. She checked her watch, it was a little before 10:15. Billy's ghost could still put in an appearance. It looked like they would have to do their FBI road block act after all. She nudged Dean awake and reached for their guns just in case. Billy could still wind up making an appearance. Dean was taking his time to really wake so she nudged him again, harder this time.

"Dude, wake up. We've got company. Get you're ass out of the car!" She urged him.

"Billy?" He questioned bleary eyed, joining her in the night air.

"Nope just passers by." She answered. Pointing out the headlights of what looked like a maroon Honda Accord approaching them quickly. "You hang back. I've got this one."

The Accord slowed to a stop and as she approached Sam could make out a woman and a man maybe in their 40's. They were both frozen in their seats and clearly wary of what was happening. Sam pulled out her fake FBI badge and spoke.

"FBI. I'm sorry but the road's closed Ma' can't come this way. Not tonight" Before she had any time at all to react the woman in the driver's seat slammed her door open hard! It smashed into Sam doubling her over and onto the ground.

"No way you F*#king Ba8#*rd !" The driver yelled. Her eyes were wild with fear and adrenaline. Sam was still doubled over in pain as she heard Dean's familiar voice boom out from across the road.

"SAMMY !" He yelled. Sam could make out his silhouette against the Accords headlights as he raised his shot gun directly at the windscreen. Typical Winchester heavy handed protectiveness was rallying him against his injuries and tiredness. She heard him continue. "Turn the god damn car around. Now !" He boomed "Right..Now".

Sam watched as the car proceeded to turn very quickly and speed off into the night.

"You ok there Sammy ?" Dean loomed over her reaching out a hand. He looked pleased with himself. Clearly happy with at least getting to save her ass a little bit after the spectacular beating he'd suffered.

"Yeah, just great!" She replied, dusting off the failed FBI disguise and standing. "I always thought someone wouldn't buy us as FBI one day."

"Yeah well." Dean brushed off her point. He remained un phased by it. "Buy the time the real cops get here we'll be done. It's almost 10:15. Get the stuff." They began to make their way back to the Impala.

"And Sammy?" He added as he turned around to face her. "Kinda funny she hit you down there huh !" He motioned to his crotch a lopsided grin.

"Yeah very funny Dean." Sam replied with a roll of her eyes and a shaking head as they reached the car.

"Jerk". She shot back at him

"Bitch" He replied.

An hour later they were leaving behind the smoking remains of Billy Munroe's grave as well as Bofford Missouri. They were both eager to put this particular job behind them. Mistakes, beatings and even eventual success included.


End file.
